diff --git a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitFileValidatorError.java b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitFileValidatorError.java
index 4ba0f99d7..40807cf03 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitFileValidatorError.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitFileValidatorError.java
@@ -65,6 +65,11 @@ public ValidationError getMissingScaleDataTypeMsg() {
         return new ValidationError("Scale Class", "Missing scale class", HttpStatus.UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public ValidationError getPeriodObsVarNameMsg() {
+        return new ValidationError("Name", "Period is invalid", HttpStatus.UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY);
+    }
+
     @Override
     public ValidationError getMissingObsVarNameMsg() {
         return new ValidationError("Name", "Missing name", HttpStatus.UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorError.java b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorError.java
index b2db156f6..c9765ed82 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorError.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorError.java
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ public ValidationError getMissingScaleDataTypeMsg() {
     }
 
     @Override
+    public ValidationError getPeriodObsVarNameMsg() {
+        return new ValidationError("observationVariableName", "Period in name is invalid", HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST);
+    }
+
     public ValidationError getMissingObsVarNameMsg() {
         return new ValidationError("observationVariableName", "Missing Name", HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST);
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorErrorInterface.java b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorErrorInterface.java
index 49ef88da5..27400e2c5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorErrorInterface.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorErrorInterface.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ public interface TraitValidatorErrorInterface {
     ValidationError getMissingScaleUnitMsg();
     ValidationError getMissingScaleDataTypeMsg();
     ValidationError getMissingObsVarNameMsg();
+    ValidationError getPeriodObsVarNameMsg();
     ValidationError getMissingTraitEntityMsg();
     ValidationError getMissingTraitAttributeMsg();
     ValidationError getMissingTraitDescriptionMsg();
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorService.java b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorService.java
index e778898bd..d8bd6bf7e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorService.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
  */
 package org.breedinginsight.services.validators;
 
+import io.micronaut.http.HttpStatus;
 import org.breedinginsight.api.model.v1.response.ValidationError;
 import org.breedinginsight.api.model.v1.response.ValidationErrors;
 import org.breedinginsight.dao.db.enums.DataType;
@@ -26,6 +27,8 @@
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 import java.util.*;
+import java.util.regex.Matcher;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 import static org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils.isBlank;
@@ -207,6 +210,27 @@ public ValidationErrors checkTraitFieldsLength(List<Trait> traits, TraitValidato
         return errors;
     }
 
+    public ValidationErrors checkTraitFieldsFormat(List<Trait> traits, TraitValidatorErrorInterface traitValidatorErrors) {
+
+        ValidationErrors errors = new ValidationErrors();
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < traits.size(); i++) {
+
+            Trait trait = traits.get(i);
+            String name = trait.getObservationVariableName();
+
+            Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile("\\.");
+            Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher(name);
+            boolean containsInvalidCharacter = matcher.find();
+
+            if (name != null && containsInvalidCharacter){
+                ValidationError error = traitValidatorErrors.getPeriodObsVarNameMsg();
+                errors.addError(traitValidatorErrors.getRowNumber(i), error);
+            }
+        }
+        return errors;
+    }
+
     public List<Trait> checkDuplicateTraitsExistingByName(UUID programId, List<Trait> traits){
 
         List<Trait> duplicates = new ArrayList<>();
@@ -273,7 +297,8 @@ public Optional<ValidationErrors> checkAllTraitValidations(List<Trait> traits, T
         ValidationErrors dataConsistencyErrors = checkTraitDataConsistency(traits, traitValidatorError);
         ValidationErrors duplicateTraitsInFile = checkDuplicateTraitsInFile(traits, traitValidatorError);
         ValidationErrors fieldLengthError =  checkTraitFieldsLength(traits, traitValidatorError);
-        validationErrors.mergeAll(requiredFieldErrors, dataConsistencyErrors, duplicateTraitsInFile, fieldLengthError);
+        ValidationErrors fieldFormatErrors =  checkTraitFieldsFormat(traits, traitValidatorError);
+        validationErrors.mergeAll(requiredFieldErrors, dataConsistencyErrors, duplicateTraitsInFile, fieldLengthError, fieldFormatErrors);
 
         if (validationErrors.hasErrors()){
             return Optional.of(validationErrors);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorUnitTest.java b/src/test/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorUnitTest.java
index 184e7308e..ea60ac285 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorUnitTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/breedinginsight/services/validators/TraitValidatorUnitTest.java
@@ -348,5 +348,28 @@ public void charLimitExceeded() {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    @SneakyThrows
+    public void periodInName() {
+
+        Trait trait = new Trait();
+        trait.setObservationVariableName("Period.1");
+
+        ValidationErrors validationErrors = traitValidatorService.checkTraitFieldsFormat(List.of(trait), new TraitValidatorError());
+
+        assertEquals(1, validationErrors.getRowErrors().size(), "Wrong number of row errors returned");
+        RowValidationErrors rowValidationErrors = validationErrors.getRowErrors().get(0);
+        assertEquals(1, rowValidationErrors.getErrors().size(), "Wrong number of errors for row");
+        assertEquals(400, rowValidationErrors.getErrors().get(0).getHttpStatusCode(), "Wrong error code");
+        assertEquals("observationVariableName", rowValidationErrors.getErrors().get(0).getField(), "Wrong error column");
+
+        //There should be no errors
+        Trait noPeriodTrait = new Trait();
+        noPeriodTrait.setObservationVariableName("NoPeriod");
+        validationErrors = traitValidatorService.checkTraitFieldsFormat(List.of(noPeriodTrait), new TraitValidatorError());
+        assertEquals(0, validationErrors.getRowErrors().size(), "Wrong number of row errors returned");
+    }
+
+
 
 }